Toungue in Cheek

Ever notice how the “older generation” repeatedly point fingers at us (the younger generation) for having an easy life? – “you have it all easy” they say “while WE had to slog… now THOSE were tough times.” This while referring to their teenage and young-adulthood. If only they knew…

We don’t have it easy at all!

We must be the only generation who has to do a LOT of catching up and adaptation. We have to keep up with the new models of iPod (among other mp3 players) that are launched every second week. We have to consider seriously whether to upgrade to a 5^th generation iPod 2^nd model or to be content with the OLD 5^th gen. iPod. The technological advances simply take their toll on us youngsters. We have to constantly adapt ourselves to newer TV remotes, music systems, DVD players, gaming consoles, mp3 softwares, mobile phones, prepaid schemes, etc. etc. We do it all without kicking up a fuss – unlike the older generation, I might add. Buy a new mouse for your computer and your parents and grand parents ( if they DO use the computer) start grumbling. “You changed the system!” they complain; “the old mouse was just fine” they justify and so forth. Now for a simple 3 button mechanism we have to deal with such a fuss, while we quietly take the newer and complex mechanisms of the newer gadgets in our stride. Never will you hear us complain why the new mp3 player has a touch screen system instead of a click wheel mechanism. It plays music (nicely) – that’s enough for us.

As for the prepaid schemes – consider the sheer number of schemes made available by a multitude of service providers. We have to keep abreast of all the new schemes, more than we do of our academic syllabus or university portion (for those remain the same for eons) .

And mobile phones – they should thank their stars THEY didn’t have to put up with these monsters. We have to recharge regularly, remember to instantly reply to any messages we might receive, respond to “missed calls” remember to switch the cell phones to silent mode when we enter the classroom, not to mention keep up with all the new models that come up.

For those of us who (like me) are into cyber gaming, there is even more catching up to do. This was one more aspect which was absent during their young-adulthood. Games meant hide and seek, tag, chain cook, hopscotch and the likes. All those aspects and more are incorporated in Counterstrike – the most popular game today. We have to hide from prospective enemies, run behind them and instead of tagging them we just shoot them. There’s a lot of “hopping” which goes on too. We have mastered all the games that were played in the yesteryears but let me see our folks coming near counterstrike? HA! Not a chance. Loads of other avenues here, but one prefers to be brief.

Now let us shift our focus to snacks. It was commonplace, in the times of yore, to go out with friends and have bhajiya and other similar snacks along with the inevitable “ek cutting chai” On special occasions it would be something better I suppose. We, on the other hand have to make a bunch of decisions to get a cup of coffee. We are confronted with words like cappuccino, mocha, decaf, etc. We also have to decide whether we want it hot or with ice, with sugar or caramel or do we want tea iced or otherwise, lemon or peach and so on. Easy? Far from!!!

When, in times of peace ( or “special occasions”) both groups decide to go out together we are the ones asked to make decisions because they find it difficult to use the correct terms in order to get the thing they want to. One could go on in this department too, but one chooses to be concise.

One more radical change that we have had to adapt to is the Multip (erp) lex and Mall (Maul) culture. For them it was simple. You want to watch a movie you go to the “talkies” chose balcony or stall, have soda and popcorn. For us it is not so simple. In fact, the folk of yesterday have deliberately plotted a fiendish scheme to make stuff more complicated for us, the teenagers of today. If we wish simply to go for a movie, we simply can’t! We have to walk miles WITHIN THE MULTIPLEX, choose screens not just a simple choice of balcony, etc; even in popcorn we are made to choose from umpteen different flavors. One thinks one goes for a movie, but ends up buying a pair of jeans, a few books, a mobile recharge, two T shirts, and a pair of goggles in the bargain. Ah! The agony of choice…!

As you may have noticed, I have made a small attempt at illustrating a brief glimpse of the reality we are faced with today. So before anyone thinks of saying “Ah! Young man/woman, you have an easy life” please take all this into consideration and think twice or thrice.

Many years down the line when I view my teenager’s life, as a responsible parent I shall say to him solemnly, “Sonny boy(or girl) , you DON’T have anything easy, in fact things are going to be thoroughly complicated and (multi) perplexing for you. Now, WE had things real easy… Ah! Those… Those were the days…!” Sigh!

-S. Bratt.